In a now deleted social media post, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China to the Japanese city of Osaka recently threatened to “cut off” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “filthy head.”

This graphic threat was in response to Takaichi’s suggestion that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces may exercise the right of collective self-defence and become involved in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.

China has called on Takaichi to retract her “erroneous remarks.”

The Chinese outrage is apparently intensifying after Chinese military planes were accused of locking their radar on Japanese fighter jets near the Okinawa islands. China also imposed a ban on Japanese seafood imports.

China’s response has political and nationalistic undertones. China views Taiwan as an “inalienable part” of its territory, a reminder of the “century of humiliation” when the [island was ceded by Imperial China to Japan and became a Japanese colony in 1895].

Even after the Second World War ended, sovereignty over Taiwan was never formally settled. China believes Taiwan must be “reunified” with the motherland, if necessary by force.

The number and intensity of Chinese military drills aimed at intimidating Taiwan have significantly increased in recent years. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has reportedly begun mobilizing the People’s Liberation Army for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027.

Taiwan’s status is complicated under international........

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